Agreement on internet governance issue

The day before official opening of the summit, delegates finally reached
an agreement on the sensitive issue of global internet governance. Both
the US and the EU claimed victory at the creation of a new Internet
Governance Forum (IGF). The forum will be set up next year and decide upon
public policy issues for the internet. It will be made up of governments
as well as private and civil society, but it will not have power over
existing bodies. There will not be any new oversight on ICANN. Governments
will continue to discuss policy desires within the Governmental Advisory
Committee (GAC) of ICANN.

Today, e-zine The Register reports that the only dissonant came from ITU
secretary-general Yoshio Utsumi. At the closing press conference he said
that while it would continue to discuss issues in the newly created
Internet Governance Forum (IGF), an increased “regionalisation” of the
internet would mean the ITU will be called upon to take over in five
years’ time. “The internet need not be one Net controlled by one centre,”
he said. “Regionalisation has already started and I suspect in a few
years, the simile of the internet will be a quite different one.”

US, EU remain at odds over Net governance (16.11.2005)
http://www.computerworld.com/governmenttopics/government/policy/story/0,10801,106265,00.html?source=x61

ITU refuses to accept net governance agreement (21.11.2005)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/11/21/utsumi_rejection/

Report on WSIS PrepCom III (05.10.2005)
http://www.edri.org/edrigram/number3.20/PrepCom